Mahouch

Two voices in one track. It opens with a spoken portrait in Egyptian Arabic of an artist who does not dazzle at first sight but touches the heart if you give him a chance. He travels the world, weaves songs from what he sees, and returns them as something like science-fiction films that cross every border; he is open, sometimes breaks into song in the middle of a prayer, and the speaker says he cannot miss a moment of him. The second half switches to Tunisian dialect and a homesick memory: it is not far and not dear; we were together among the people we love, we grew up, we travelled, we came back at night. Now there is no place for us in the neighbourhood; we are grown, we build and work to bring everything home. A scene follows of an aunt who is given almonds and honey, a family arrival, dressing someone up until she is found happy and beautiful, and the summer, the sea and the good things. The title is the Tunisian word for "it is not."